immune support

Not long ago, ScienceDaily published an article entitled, “A
Ton of Bitter Melon Produces Sweet Results For Diabetes.” This
headline is but one of many recent announcements regarding
the benefits of an ancient vegetable that is a culinary treat
throughout much of the world. Unfortunately, bitter melon and
its many benefits remain unknown to most Americans.

Bitter melon grows in the tropical and subtropical areas of
the East Africa, Asia, India, South America and the Caribbean.
It is used traditionally as both food and medicine in all of these
areas. Momordica charantia goes by many names and is known
as bitter melon, bitter gourd, balsam pear, karela, and pare.
Most Westerners will identify bitter melon as looking like a pale
green or green cucumber with warts. Indian varieties may be
whitish to gray-green, as well. Commercial cultivars can range
up to a foot or more in length, whereas wild bitter melon varieties
may measure only an inch or so, more than making up for
their small size with greater bitterness and intense flavor. The
gourd becomes more bitter as it ripens. As a food, unripe bitter
melon is used fresh in salads, cooked into soups and curries,
employed as a flavoring for eggs, meat and so forth.

Long popular as part of the cuisine of South Asia and
China, bitter melon today is conquering new gastronomic territories.
Okinawans, renowned for longevity, are extremely
fond of a small local variety reputed to confer health benefits.
From Okinawa and other sources, bitter melon is becoming increasingly
widespread on the Japanese mainland. This reflects
an East Asian trend typical of Korea as well as Japan: Highly
flavored and colored nutrient-dense foods are being adopted
as everyday sources of health. Hence black and red rice, black
garlic, bitter melon and other such foods and condiments are
being embraced.

A Plethora of Benefits
Almost every part of the Momordica charantia plant has been
used in traditional medical practices, including not just the
fruit, but also the leaves/vines, seeds and roots. Folk and traditional
systems often suggest bitter melon for microbial infections,
sluggish digestion and intestinal gas, menstrual
stimulation, wound healing, inflammation, fever reduction, hypertension,
and as a laxative and emetic. All these benefits are
from a plant with fruit that has been proven safe by centuries
of oral consumption. The only concern generally of note is that
bitter melon seed consumption is not recommended for those
seeking to become pregnant.

In South Asia, bitter melon is recommended to support
immune health. Some of the effects are direct and some are
indirect. Benefits include the inhibition of the growth of a variety
of gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria, including
E. coli, Salmonella, Staphylococcus, Streptococcus and H. pylori.
Extracts, similarly, according to in vitro studies, appear to
have an impact on a number of viruses. For instance, bitter
melon constituents may prevent viral penetration of the cell
wall. Immune effects include support for healthy T-helper cell
ratios, natural killer cell populations and related mechanisms.

With current problems involving overweight and obesity,
some of the more attractive actions of bitter melon involve controlling
weight gain in the face of the consumption of excessive
calories. Animal studies have demonstrated that bitter melon
can reduce insulin resistance and visceral obesity caused by a
high-fat diet. Similarly, bitter melon may be protective against
many damaging results of high fructose diets, including diet-induced
hyperglycemia, hyperleptinemia, hyperinsulinemia, and
hypertriglyceridemia. The American Medical Association currently
is recommending that added sugars should not account
for more than five percent of the diet, yet added sugar, especially
fructose and “corn” sugars, are found everywhere in the
American food supply, although often hidden. Bitter melon may
offer some nutritional protection against these added sugars.

Traditional uses and preclinical research provide a very
positive picture of bitter melon. Human trials have confirmed
many of these findings. In clinical trials, the fresh fruit, its freshly
squeezed juice and the homogenized suspension of bitter
melon have led to significant reductions in both fasting and
postprandial blood glucose. The caveat is that the successful
trials in the literature as a rule have used almost exclusively
fresh preparations. For whatever reasons, dry extracts have
not fared well in clinical trials. Perhaps this is due to the fact
that dry extracts usually are concentrated for charantins even
though, according to some research, charantins, the saponins
commonly selected for “standardized” preparations, may be inactive
or only weakly active. Another possibility is that the most
active compounds in bitter melon rapidly deteriorate in most
dried powders and extracts.

If you like the taste of bitter melon, the success of freshly
prepared materials in clinical trials is great news because it
means that the vegetable may deliver not just a taste treat, but
also health benefits when consumed raw and cooked in salads,
soups, curries, egg and meat dishes, etc. There also remains
another option. Recent research suggests that a special form
of bitter melon, especially with proper handling, may deliver on
the promise of the fresh material even when dried and delivered
in capsules and tablets.

Sometimes Wild Is Better!
With many grains, fruits and vegetables, wild genotypes retain
healthful qualities that have been bred out of cultivated varieties.
For instance, Khorasan wheat (Kamut), a much older form
of wheat, provides more protein, minerals and more complex
carbohydrates with lower gluten levels than is true of modern
wheat. Similarly, carrots initially most often were purple rather
than orange because of the vastly greater amounts of phytonutrients
in the form of anthocyanidins. Lettuce was more bitter,
and so forth and so on.

With bitter melon, much the same is true. There are literally hundreds of different forms of bitter melon found in China and India. In many ways, the most interesting of these nutritionally are the “wild” forms found in India.

Recently, a comparative trial in animals looked specifically at
the differences among commercial herbal extracts of bitter
melon of Chinese, Indian and Indian wild genotype origin. The
goal was to establish benefits with regard to blood sugar and
insulin regulation and also parameters linked to blood pressure.
Very little work has been performed with wild genotypes
of bitter melon, even though there are a great many of these in
India alone. Most information available tends to cover topics
such as the effect of the wild forms on inflammatory responses.
Hints in the literature suggest that the blood sugar effects
of some of these wild genotypes could be more potent than
in the cultivars commonly used for extraction. For instance,
it has been found that extracts of bitter gourd activate cellular
machinery to regulate energy production (technically, Amp-activated
protein kinase) and the way that fats are handled by
the liver. These components can account for as much as 7.1 g/
kg of the dried wild material.

In a just published trial that did look at wild bitter melon,
over a period of 60 days the effect of an extract from the wild
genotype of bitter melon offered commercially under the name
Glycostat proved to be more efficacious than the varietals
typically used in Chinese and Indian preparations and certainly
more consistent in influencing all the health parameters
tested. Wild bitter melon was compared with
two commercially available Chinese and Indian preparations
in an animal model with a standard test called a Glucose Tolerance
Test (GTT). In this test, a fixed amount of glucose is
consumed and then the amount that accumulates in the blood
(Area Under the Curve/AUC) is measured and the change (delta)
is calculated. A smaller change is good because it means
that the body is rapidly taking the glucose into the tissues and
that there is good insulin sensitivity. All the bitter
melon extracts reduced the increase in blood sugar. However,
wild bitter melon was superior to both the Chinese and
Indian extracts and it was the only extract to deliver statistically
significant results. Of particular note, this greater benefit was
achieved without elevating insulin levels.

Other interesting findings included the wild extract’s significant
influence on the nitric oxide system (influencing whether
the blood vessels can dilate), a system that controls blood fluid
volume known as the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) and the
closely related angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) activity.
These three systems and activities influence blood pressure
and cardiovascular health and in each of them, wild bitter melon
either was the only extract that exhibited significant activity
or it was more active compared to the Chinese and Indian
extracts.

Concluding Thoughts
Bitter melon is yet another example of a traditional food and
health aid that has made good when tested against modern
Western standards. The benefits are real in areas such as blood
glucose and blood pressure support—with the caveat that until
now bitter melon needed to be eaten in large amounts or
the freshly prepared juice consumed regularly in order for the
benefits to be realized. Extracts and dried powders have been
less successful, perhaps because unstable or for other reasons.
A specially prepared wild bitter melon extract produced
with special processing appears to have solved this limitation.
Wild bitter melon extract supports both blood sugar and blood
pressure health, all without the bitter taste.

Why should I supplement with a superfood supplement?

It has often been said our best source of vitamins, nutrients and supplements is from the food we eat. If you are eating a properly balanced organic diet with a lot of raw fruits and vegetables then you are way ahead of the curve and probably feeling pretty healthy. But it is not always easy to get the proper nutrients we need on a daily basis for many reasons. Too busy to shop often for fresh organic fruits and vegetables, limited access to the broad range of foodstuffs we need for optimum health and many other reasons.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),
only 11% of Americans meet the USDA’s guidelines for eating 5-9 servings of fresh fruit and vegetables daily. CDC data indicates:

93% of Americans don’t enough vitamin E

56% don’t get enough magnesium

31% don’t get enough vitamin C

12% don’t get enough zinc

Many seniors lack B vitamins

Many people are low on vitamin K, calcium, and potassium

In addition to our lack of eating enough fresh fruits and vegetables every day the same foodstuffs have been losing nutritional content over the decades.

In 2004, a University of Texas research team headed by biochemist Donald Davis, Ph.D., analyzed a USDA report on 43 common garden fruits and vegetables and found that almost half of the substances containing minerals important to good health had lost some nutritional value. Dr. Davis suggests one of the reasons for this decline is the result of the faster methods major agro-farm companies employed to grow high-yield crops to meet consumer demand.

So what is one to do?

Step 1: Go organic. One of the reasons many people do not go organic is because of price. Take bananas for example. I see non-organic bananas for sale at 79 cents per pound sitting beside organic bananas that are 99 cents per pound and most shoppers opt for the less expensive. Why? They do not realize that the organic bananas have more nutrients and significantly less pesticides as they are just looking at price. But the fact of the matter is you are getting significantly more nutrients while avoiding toxic pesticides and herbicides. And of course you are avoiding GMOs. By the way GMO bananas are currently in testing and are on their way to a supermarket near you soon. So yes organic fruits and vegetables are probably going to cost more...but you get a lot more for your money...and a lot less (pesticides).

In a report from The Organic Center organic foods have been found to have1:

Pesticides are found 4 times more frequently in conventional crops than organic crops

And of course organic crops are non-GMO. The devestating health effects of GMO plants are too lengthy to go into in this piece so we recommend you do a little homework. Search for the Seralini study and health effects of Roundup for startes. Read Seeds of Destruction and bookmark Institute for Responsible Technology

The Benefits
There are a lot of ingredients in Green Vibrance: 73 in all. They were put together with care, in order to maximize the synergism among nutrients. The result delivers healthful nutritional support to the 11 body systems. Enjoy:

More complete nutrition; a host of rare, scarce nutrients.

Support for digestion and gastrointestinal function*

Support for healthy circulation*

More energy*

Support for clearance of waste products of metabolism, detoxification*

Their industry leading dose of 25 billion friendly probiotics, balanced by a rich
combination of Bifido- and Lacto- bacilli from 12 strains in each serving of
Green Vibrance bolsters the one system that must function well first and
foremost above all others if health is to be improved or optimized. One
must be able to digest food and transport nutrients into the body from
the gastrointestinal tract before health can be sustained. The 12 strains of
probiotics in Green Vibrance help assure a healthy G.I. tract by building and
maintaining colonies of robust intestinal flora.

Chlorophyll from the green foods in Green Vibrance further supports intestinal
health. Apple fiber from our certified organic whole apple powder plus
sunflower lecithin help support elimination of heavy metals, cholesterol and
toxins from the intestinal tract before they can be absorbed. To a lesser degree,
they can perform similar tasks in the circulating blood itself.

Over eons of time, the liver became quite adept at denaturing, destroying
and getting rid of unnecessary substances in everyday foods. Keep in mind
that 40% of a plain old carrot is unneeded, toxic material. Your liver has no
trouble handling that. But when it comes to detoxifying some of the modern
chemicals which are absorbed by, and circulate through, your body, we believe
the liver needs a little help. That is why we’ve added liver support ingredients.

Human metabolism is built on oxidation, which both keeps us alive and
slowly pushes us toward the grave. The quiet damage to cells caused
by necessary cellular oxidation defines the degenerative changes of
aging. Oxidative damage is involved, too, in the progression of every
known “disease of affluence” such as cardiovascular disease, arthritis,
diabetes and others. Certainly one’s personal genetic code and lifestyle
also contribute.

Aging and degenerative disease are ubiquitous -- we all will
encounter them in time. Nutritive antioxidants may diminish the
severity and slow the advance of oxidative damage and.* Each serving
of Green Vibrance delivers a powerful 960 mg of herbal antioxidants in
addition to the beta-carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E and other antioxidants
naturally present from the other plant components of the formula. These
antioxidants, plus lecithin, soluble fibers, policosanol and other ingredients help
support cardiovascular health.* A strong heart and clear arteries are essential to
delivering nutrients to and removing waste from every cell in the body. Ginkgo
biloba extract, grape seed extract, green tea extract pomegranate extract, and
Silymarin (milk thistle) extract are all known to improve peripheral circulation.

The immune support delivered by Green Vibrance is found in its content of betaglucans,
ImmunEnhancer™ arabinogalactans and Astragalus extract.* But let us
not loose sight of the immune enhancing effect of a healthy digestive tract. 50%
of your own immune cells are found there. Well nourished, vibrant cells, amply
protected by the army of antioxidants in Green Vibrance, are themselves resistant
to disease.*

Green Vibrance has always supported good skeletal health, undoubtedly due to
its alkalinizing nature, bioavailable boron and CalZbone®, an extract of Cissus
quadrangularis that has been clinically shown to improve bone mineral density.
Beginning with version 9.0, Green Vibrance added another key nutrient for bone
health: Vitamin D3. The vitamin D3 in Green Vibrance is a specially made material
from an actual plant source, lichen. Green Vibrance is now safe for vegans.

The entire Green Vibrance formula was designed and
balanced to help establish and sustain good health.

Olive leaf complex is quite simply one of the most useful natural compounds I’ve ever encountered. It’s a powerful health tonic that’s fantastic for general well-being and enhanced immunity.

Let me explain.

The olive plant is a rich source of such beneficial plant compounds as tocopherols, flavonoids, anthocyanins, sterols and polyphenols. “The real benefit of olive oil is that it delivers these amazing polyphenols,” says David Rubin, MD, MSc, an Israeli researcher and biochemist.

What are Polyphenols, Anyway?
Polyphenols are a group of valuable chemicals found throughout the plant kingdom primarily in berries, walnuts, olives, teas, grapes and other fruits and vegetables. They have a wide variety of health benefits.
And the fresh leaves of some olive trees are loaded with them.

These polyphenols also have antimicrobial activity against a wide variety of viruses, bacteria, yeasts and fungi.

Scientific advances have shown there are at least 30 distinct polyphenols in fresh-picked olive leafs and that the full spectrum of these polyphenols in fresh-picked olive leaves gives a synergistic effect greater than any individual isolated compound alone. This is why the most bioeffective olive leaf products on the market today are always made directly from fresh-picked, whole olive leaves which provide the whole spectrum of natural polyphenolic antioxidants just as nature intended. This also enables them to work together in natural synergy to maximize the health benefits.

How is Your Immune System Functioning?
Immunity is one of the keys to good health. Think for a moment about the last time something was “going around” your office. Some people got really sick but others probably didn’t. And even among those who did, whatever “bug” was going around probably laid some people out for two weeks while others were back to work after a day or so.

The difference? The performance of the Immune System.
We can’t do much about the bugs and microbes we’re all exposed to—but what we can do is strengthen and support our immune system.

Olive Leaf Complex Can Help.
Here are some of the questions you might ask yourself if you’re interested in evaluating just how well your immune system is functioning:

Do you get infections frequently?

Do you have frequent colds?

Do you get the flu?

Do you experience inflammation or infection in the

upper respiratory tract?

Do you suffer from bronchitis frequently?

Do you have recurrent skin infections?

Have you ever suffered from recurrent infections of

Candida or “yeast infections”?

Have you been diagnosed with Epstein-Barr or chronic fatigue syndrome?

Do you experience a reduction in stamina and resistance, especially when under stress?

Are your energy levels less than you would like them to be?

Any or all of these can be symptoms of compromised immunity.

What about Olive Leaf for Bacteria and Viruses?
Your best defense against the potential damage of bacteria and viruses is to have a strong, robust immune system that will prevent them from taking root and doing harm in the first place.

Fresh-picked olive leaf complex can be a powerful weapon in the battle between your immune system and invading microbes. The bitter substances in olive leaves—since identified as the polyphenols we’ve been talking about throughout this article (oleuropein, hydroxytyrosol, caffeic acid, verbascoside, etc.) have been found to be particularly helpful in resisting bacterial damage. In fact, early research by the drug company Upjohn found extracts from olive leaves to be effective in treating infection caused by a large number of viruses as well as bacteria and parasitic protozoans.

According to James R. Privitera, MD, these are some of the unique properties possessed by the olive leaf compound for the broad killing power:

Olive leaf has an ability to interfere with critical amino acid production essential for viruses.

Olive leaf has an ability to control viral infection and/or spread by inactivating viruses or by preventing virus shedding, budding or assembly at the cell membrane.

Olive leaf extract has the ability to directly penetrate

infected cells and stop viral replication.

Olive leaf can stimulate a process called phagocytosis, an immune system response in which cells act like little Pac-Man, ingesting harmful microorganisms and foreign matter.

In vitro studies have found olive leaf extract is effective against over 50 common disease causing organisms including viruses, bacteria, fungi and protozoa such as herpes, influenza A, Polio 1, 2, and 3; Salmonella typhimurium, Candida Krusei and
Coxsackie A21.

Biochemist Arnold Takemoto, talking to the Townsend Newsletter for Doctors and Patients put it this way: “(I have) yet to discover another herbal substance that accomplishes antimicrobially what this substance achieves.”

But not just any old olive leaf…

One brand I particularly like is Barlean’s olive leaf complex. It’s made 100 percent from fresh-picked leaves; it’s never reconstituted, it has no artificial preservatives, no added sugar and it comes in a fast-acting, great-tasting liquid.
Every batch has been thoroughly analyzed using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), the global standard to scientifically identify and measure the healing compounds in herbal medicines. In Australia, consumers already spend up to three million dollars a month on this incredible olive leaf product.

Barlean’s olive leaf complex comes from trees that have been farmed naturally on virgin land in Australia. Organic vermiculture (worm created) fertilizers and pristine irrigation water are coupled with early morning harvesting and immediate transfer of the freshly harvested leaves to the processing plant.

What dosage is best?
Though there is really no “official” recommended dose for taking olive leaf complex, many experts recommend a basic maintenance dose for general use and a “therapeutic” dose for special cases. Generally, the consensus is one tablespoonful (15ml) one to two times a day taken right before eating is ideal for maintenance.

For conditions such as the common cold, flu, sinus infections and basic respiratory tract infections, the recommended dose is 2 × 5ml teaspoons every six hours, says naturopath Jack Ritchason, ND. For acute infections such as sore throat, swollen glands or fever, Ritchason recommends three teaspoons (15ml) every six hours.

On a personal note, I take a capful of olive leaf complex on a daily basis as a general tonic and immune system booster. Although this is hardly a scientific statement, I can tell you I rarely get sick and on the few occasions I do, it’s very mild and I’m back to my routine in record time. Apparently, I’m not alone in being a fan of olive leaf complex. Experts agree taking this wonderful supplement can be a valuable part of anyone’s health routine.

Says Ritchason: “From all indications—research, case studies and widespread use—olive leaf extract appears to be an extremely safe supplement that can effectively aid the body in improving immune function and fighting infection by various microbes.”

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